Boy, 10, saves brother from fire
Staff writer
Even though a fire last week consumed almost everything Sherry King owned, she was overjoyed at the cool-headedness of her son, Trevin.
“I was really proud of him,” she said. “He could’ve frozen up and stayed in the house or run out and said, ‘Well, I hope everyone gets out.’ He didn’t, and I was just proud of him.”
When the fire broke out 10-year-old Trevin quickly went to alert 13-year-old Levi, and the two brothers left their house in the 400 block of S. Ash St. in Hillsboro, King said.
The fire started when grease on a stovetop burner caught fire and spread to a low-hanging microwave oven overhead, King said.
Trevin was downstairs and had to warn Levi, who couldn’t hear the fire upstairs.
“They did what I’ve always told them to do in case we had a fire,” she said. “I didn’t think it ever stuck but it did.”
King’s boyfriend was able to save one dog but the other family dog couldn’t be saved.
While having the family safe provided piece of mind, losing a pet still was difficult, King’s daughter, Kate Riddle, said.
“Everybody got out OK except for Diesel, the dog,” she said. “He was a good dog.”
Knowing that Riddle moved into her own home a few months prior provided a different sense of relief for King.
“I’m so thankful,” King said. “At least she already has a home with my grandson. Thank God.”
Moving past the fire is about knowing what mentality works best. For King that means finding ways to stay busy and distract herself.
“People handle different things in different ways,” she said. “When I get stressed or something is bothering me, I just do everything I can to make things move faster so we can get back to normal.”
The fire also demonstrated the importance of preparedness for King, who did not have a fire extinguisher or renter’s insurance.
“We probably should have had a fire extinguisher but we didn’t have one sitting there,” she said. “We’re going to have one now.”
A fund for donations has been set up with Great Plains Federal Credit Union, while others are contacting her directly.
“People have been asking what we need, and I don’t even know where to start,” she said. “I guess things that you might need in your home. I don’t know. There’s so much you don’t know where to start.”